Chapter 28
Lucas
While Tessa slept in this morning, I arranged for a quiet day, admiring the skyline before ending it with a breathtaking sunset view.
The High Rise Tower was the tallest hotel on The Strip, owned by the man himself, Dane Emerson. I called in a favor, having him close his rooftop observatory for twenty-four hours so I could spoil my princess and show her exactly what I had to offer.
I know I didn’t need to go all out, but that was the kind of man I was—one who loved to splurge and never settled for anything less. I only hoped that Tessa wouldn’t roll her eyes once we reached the top, thinking I’m nothing more than a show-off.
Before leaving, Tessa changed into a clean outfit—casual chic, as she called it.
I gave her all the time in the world to get ready, patiently waiting on the edge of her bed as she went back and forth deciding whether or not to wear the wig.
When Tessa couldn’t come to a decision after about thirty minutes of grunting and growling at herself in the mirror, I stood from the mattress and stepped up behind her as she pressed her frustrated palms into the vanity.
I took a second to admire just how perfect we looked together in the reflection, before gripping her biceps and rubbing gentle circles along her shoulder blades until she relaxed in my hold.
I could feel the tension in her body melting away the longer I massaged her upper back, digging my thumbs into the muscle.
When she had calmed down enough to lift her gaze to meet mine in the mirror, I removed the wig, tossing it across the bathroom and into the shower before pressing my lips against her soft, silky hair.
“Where I’m taking you today, you won’t need to hide. It’ll just be you and me, nobody else.” I murmured against her scalp, taking a deep breath as I shut my eyes and soaked in every ounce of her.
“I-I don’t—”
“Use this as a first step in trusting me to protect you, princess. I won’t let anyone hurt you. I want you to feel every bit of the freedom you ran away to have.”
She calmly rotated in my arms, her eyes sparkling to life when they connected with mine as if a weight had slowly been lifted, a heavy burden she’d no longer have to carry on her own. One that Levi and I would more than happily shoulder for her.
We drove straight from Tessa’s apartment to High Rise.
It was late afternoon by the time we arrived, and I parked the Mas in a private garage that Dane had built to protect his luxury car collection.
He lived in the penthouse of his hotel, so he was always available to his staff when needed.
Not to mention, he held the best view on The Strip, bar none.
I escorted Tessa to the elevator and, once inside, I pressed the button for the rooftop, which was located two floors above Dane’s residence.
“How can you be sure that no one will see me?” Tessa had started playing with the ties on her blouse, twirling them around her fingers and balling her hands into shaky fists.
Tendrils of hair fell over her face as she stared down at the floor.
I never thought someone so flawless could ever feel so self-conscious.
The sight alone nearly broke me.
Just like at her apartment, I took my girl’s trembling hands in mine and raised them to meet my lips, pressing a tender kiss to the backs of her fingers as Tessa lifted her head slightly.
“Because I know the owner, and he assured me that the entire rooftop would be closed to the public until tomorrow morning. We have the whole evening to ourselves…” Tucking a loose strand behind her ear, I grazed my fingertips along her jawline before resting the side of my index finger just under her chin to lift, keeping her eyes locked on mine.
“And I hope that by the end of today, you’ll understand just how deep my feelings have become for you. ”
I didn’t want to take things slow, not with her. I wanted to be twenty years from now, settled down with our family, showering her with all the love and affection I could give.
The elevator chimed, and right before the doors opened, I stepped aside to give Tessa the first look of our evening—the strings I had managed to pull in under a few short hours.
A wave of warm air filled the space with the sweet aroma of fresh-cut roses and gardenias. Tessa stepped forward, the welcoming scent almost carrying her through the vases of flowers that lined a path to the outside.
The rooftop of High Rise was half-covered to allow for year-round use.
When it stormed, the clear dome provided an unobstructed view of the lightning and rain, which had become one of the biggest attractions to date.
I swear that some tourists only came during the rainy season, just for the opportunity to sit and safely admire the weather.
My brother and I came here a few times when Dane had closed the observatory off for a members-only therapeutic escape. It was nice, a little fragment of peace and tranquility in a world filled with chaos.
“Lucas…” Tessa breathed as she exited through the sliding glass doors and stepped out onto the leading rooftop. Taking slow, creeping steps toward the guardrail, she peered over the edge. “It’s—It’s…”
“Incredible?” I finished at her pause, stopping with my chest pressed to her back as I framed her against the rail, gripping the metal bar on either side of her hands.
“Levi and I were always jealous of this view. The one from our penthouse is decent, but nothing like this. We come here once a month to take a break, slow down, and unwind from reality.”
“I could see why… I’ve never experienced anything like this…”
Tessa leaned into me, and I bent my head down to nuzzle against the side of hers, wishing that we could stay in this position forever.
I was never a romantic; that was Levi’s calling—hell, he could make couch rotting seem like a romantic gesture, and he did, but with her…
I’ve never felt more weak at the knees with undying devotion.
“Just wait, once that sun begins to set, it becomes even more mesmerizing.”
She tipped her head back, looking up at me, her doe eyes beaming with excitement.
“We’re watching the sunset? From up here?” The excitement in her voice was contagious. It almost felt as though this was my first time seeing it—really seeing it.
I gestured my head over to the daybed that I had requested to be put out before our arrival, surrounded by white pillar candles and scattered with rose petals. I even had a local chocolatier prepare an assortment box just for her.
As I said… I pulled out all the stops for this one chance—a do-over, a fresh start…
Time passed quickly as we spent the afternoon wrapped in each other’s embrace. I’m pretty sure I admired the woman in my arms far more than the skyline itself.
It felt good to finally have someone else to share the experience with, aside from my brother. Now that I had Tessa, I’d share this with her every chance I got—provided she stayed… didn’t run…
As we sat in comfortable silence and watched the sun set over The Strip, the sky turning various shades of pink, orange, and yellow, I asked her the single burning question that had been bothering me since the news of her disappearance broke.
“Why did you run?” I needed to know if there was something in her answer that I could keep an eye out for to prevent that from ever happening again.
Tessa continued to stare out into the sunset, her eyes glistening with held-back tears as she thought about what I’d just asked. She was hesitating to give an answer, and I was trying to be patient before asking again.
“Why did you run, princess?”
“I—” She paused, pushing herself up to sit upright on the daybed before turning to look me in the eyes, and all I could see was a war of emotions. A battle that she was still fighting, even now. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me.”
“My life was—is so different from yours. How could you possibly comprehend—”
“Try. Me.” I cut her off, gripping her chin between my fingers. Holding her attention hostage, I stared into the eyes of a woman who fought daily for validation—who was never given it unless it came attached to an award.
“I was tired of being fake.” Her voice cracked with the words.
“Pretending to be someone I wasn’t to uphold a reputation that was never mine to begin with.
In doing so, I discovered that having everything meant absolutely nothing when you’re alone and have no one to share it with.
Every award, every trophy, all the money in this fucking world; and not a damn shred of it mattered to me anymore… ”
“So you wanted freedom,” I added under my breath. Love.
“I needed freedom. I was numb. I no longer belonged there. Fitting in was becoming harder the older I got—the mold tighter, more restrictive. What you saw on the big screen, the tabloids, the magazines… That wasn’t me.
The societal standards of Hollywood had painted me to be that woman, and to escape, I had to become someone else—if only with a fake name and hair.
At least she could be the true version of who I was.
Famous Tessa had to disappear for the real me to break free from her chains.
The fans, the entourage; they all come and go.
No one sticks around long enough to form a deep or meaningful relationship…
” She started laughing. “And sometimes you just have to say ‘fuck the world’ and take a chance on yourself. What good is a life filled with ‘fake it till you make it’ if you’re spending every fucking day worrying about failure instead of living?
This is so stupid, I don’t even know why I’m telling you all of this as if you’d even care… ”
Letting go of her chin and rising to her level, I moved to wrap my hand around the back of her neck, pulling her face closer to mine, our noses barely touching.
“I do care… So fucking much. Do you even know what it did to me? Knowing that you had run—twice, I might add, the hotel included—and I couldn’t do a single goddamn thing about it.
” I felt my walls crumbling, heart on my fucking sleeve.
“You don’t have to pretend anymore, princess, or search for an escape.
I think I speak for Levi and myself when I tell you that we want you for who you are, not for who someone else said you were supposed to be.
With the two of us, you’ll never have to feel alone—ever again.
We will take care of you. Whatever version of Tessa you want to give us, we’ll take her. To have and to hold.”
Tears started to fall from her dazzling eyes, and I released a breath, pressing my forehead against hers as I closed my own, letting myself have this moment of vulnerability and giving the rest of myself to her, whether she claimed it or not.
“Why does this feel so surreal?” She asked, her voice nothing more than a whisper.
“Because people don’t typically fall this fast, this hard… Especially with people they barely even know.” Look at me being the voice of fucking reason for once.
“Is this wrong?”
I grinned at her innocence, smiling so hard my cheeks started to hurt.
“Princess, if this is wrong, then I never want to be right. Not if it means that I’ll never get the chance to love you.”
Tessa choked on her tears as they streamed down the sides of her pretty face, the sky darkening as the sun finished setting over the horizon, and the stars emerged like sparkling diamonds.
I’ve never known love like this. I know what I said, and I meant every word.